In recent years, Israeli banks sweepingly refused to allow Palestinians living in Israel for years to open bank accounts. Following
HaMoked's battle on this issue, in August 2014, an amendment to the
Prohibition on Money Laundering Order entered into effect to allow the opening of bank accounts for Palestinians who are "residents of the Area" (the OPT in official Israeli parlance), in addition to the Order's two pre-exisiting categories of Israeli residents and foreign residents.
Despite the amendment, recently, a Palestinian living in Jerusalem had been refused opening a bank account in two Israeli banks – Leumi and Hapoalim. The man has an Israeli stay permit, obtained as part of the family unification procedure he undergoes with his wife, who is a resident of Jerusalem, and maintains his center of life in Israel. Despite this, the bank tellers in the East Jerusalem branch offices of these banks refused to open an account for him, solely because he is resident of the OPT.
HaMoked contacted the banks' branch offices in question, and demanded they accept the man's request, and to ascertain that it was a case where the bank tellers did not fully comprehend the current legal situation, rather than implemented an illegal policy of the banks.
